By DC Brooks
Incoming freshmen guard Jorge Lebron broke away from the practice huddle along with sophomore guard Carlos Rivera. Childhood friends from Puerto Rico, the duo will strive to help the Pride improve on last season's record (14-15) and hopefully give the Pride its first NCAA tournament berth since the 2000-2001 season.
Lebron, listed at 6-2, is one of six guards on the Pride's basketball roster for the 2004-2005 season. Showing the world why the Pride recruited him is one issue but also getting used to the rigors of a college basketball season also rests on his plate.
"It's tough coming to [the University] being the youngest player on the team and everybody is stronger and faster than me," Lebron said. "But I practice everyday and I play hard everytime."
Playing hard for Lebron is an understatement. His flashes of brilliance impressed the Pride's coaching staff as a senior while averaging slightly over 30 points per game. He also helped Virginia Navy to win the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) 2003 All-Star Boys Basketball National Championships by adding 14 points to top Virginia Royal in the final.
Subsequently, the NACA selected him for the All-Tournament team. In the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) 2003 summer league, Lebron averaged 23.5 points per game playing for the Miami Tropics. Hopefully, his explosiveness will continue and help spark the Pride's offense this upcoming season.
"I think the potential is there and sky's the limit for him," head coach Tom Pecora said. "He's just going into a transition like all freshmen where he's realizing the intensity and physicality of college basketball right now."
The Pride's coaching staff liked Lebron since the first time they saw him play in Florida. They distinguished Lebron as head and shoulders above the rest of the competition and courted him to play for the Pride for the next season.
"Coach [Pecora] and I went down to Florida and saw Jorge play," said assistant coach Van Macon. "He had a good presence about him; he was making shots and running the team."
For Lebron, playing for the Pride wasn't a relatively hard decision. Rivera played an influential role in Lebron's decision to play for the Pride after schools like the University of South Florida and Florida State University sought to recruit him. In addition, Rivera's AAU coach had also coached Lebron prior to his commitment to the Pride.
Lebron visited the campus in October 2003 and committed two months later in early December. He chose the University because of its proximity to the city, the basketball program, and knowing the team had established relationships with Puerto Rican players.
Born in Mayagüez, a small town in Puerto Rico, Lebron played basketball since the age of 5 while influenced by his father and older brother, Gerald. "My dad used to be a professional basketball player in Puerto Rico and my brother also played basketball," Lebron said.
But while Lebron never faced any severe hardships while living in Puerto Rico, the tragic lost of his father due to lung cancer last year struck him hard.
"My motivation is my dad and my family," Lebron said, firmly. "I know if my father was here he'll be proud of me." The death of his father had forced him to heighten the focus of his work as his desire to succeed intensified.
Lebron left Puerto Rico at the age of 15 in 2001 and headed to Virginia. He came to the United Sates for better opportunities to play basketball, but adjusting to a new country brought difficulty in the beginning.
"Moving from Puerto Rico to America was tough," Lebron said, and paused before continuing. "Leaving my family, and friends, getting used to a new culture, language and the weather because it was colder [here]."
He attended high school in Virginia during the 10th grade and stayed there for two years. He transferred in his senior year to Port Charlotte, Fla. and attended Florida Prep Academy. Lebron scored 59 points in one game last season for Florida Prep and over 40 on several occasions. The Florida Sports Writers Association selected Lebron to the All-State Basketball Class 1A Boys 1st team for the 2003-2004 season. One recruiting service in Florida also voted Lebron as the sixth best high school prospect in the state.
With the help of his teammates, Lebron is walking on the thin line between difficulty and smooth sailing as a freshman.
"He's going to go through a struggle but we just got to pick him up like they did with Loren [Stokes] and I last year," Rivera said.
The name LeBron became famous when LeBron James was drafted No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft last year. This Lebron isn't in the NBA, but his skills will impress.
Freshman Guard Jorge Lebron. (Photo Courtesy Athletic Dept.)